Thousands Gather at Poet's Funeral

The funeral of Adrian Paunescu, one of Romania's most beloved poets who died 3 November aged 67, was attended by thousands of Romanians in Bucharest on 7 November. The poet, both large in size and personality, was loved by many for his colourful poetry and his generous character.

However, Paunescu was also a quite controversial character, as some of his poetry praised the late communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Those who attended put politics aside at the funeral which took place at the Bucharest Writers Union. The poet was buried at the Bellu Cemetery in south Bucharest next to another famous poet, Mihai Eminescu.